(2013) penalizes women and girls over the age of nine who do not comply with the Islamic dress
code in public, notably with wearing the compulsory hijab.6
Additionally, child marriage continues to be permitted under Iranian law. The legal minimum age
for marriage is 13 years old for girls and 15 years old for boys.7 However, children who have
reached puberty can marry with parental consent and court approval.8 Marriage before puberty is
criminalized in accordance with Article 50 of the Family Protection Act9 and is punished under
Article 646 of the Islamic Penal Code (2013).10
Between March 2018 and March 2019, the National Organization for Civil Registration reported
over 30,000 marriages involving girls between the ages of 10 and 14, including 209 marriages
involving girls under the age of 11. 11 12 However, the number is likely to be higher as many child
marriages are unregistered.13 In January 2020 the Secretary General highlighted that “the
Government [of the Islamic Republic of Iran] expressed the view that setting the minimum age of
marriage regardless of the cultural context would increase unregistered marriages.”14
The Iranian legal framework maintains discriminations between boys and girls in the Islamic
Republic of Iran.
B. Right to life
International law and human rights treaties define the age of criminal responsibility at 18 years
and above, and those below that age are considered to be juveniles.15 However, the laws in Iran,
and in particular the Islamic Penal Code, allow death sentences for criminals under the age of 18
to be issued. Article 146 of the Islamic Penal Code of 2013 establishes that people who are not
considered mature are not responsible for any crimes, while Article 147 says that the age of
maturity is 9 years for girls and 15 years for boys. The age of criminal responsibility in the law16
specifies that those who commit crimes will be subject to the penalties specified in the law.
Therefore, criminal responsibility for crimes punishable by hudud (punishments fixed by God) or
6
Islamic Penal Code, 2013, Article 638, Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
Article 1041 of the Civil Code as amended up until December 2000, NGO Impact Iran Coalition, Joint Submission to the
Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2016
8
Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
9
Universal Periodic Review, Iran, 2019
10
Islamic Penal Code (2013), Islamic Republic of Iran, Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
11
Report of the Secretary General, Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2020, para 37
12
See www.sabteahval.ir/avej/tab-1499.aspx (in Farsi)
13
Report of the Secretary General, Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2020, para 37
14
Report of the Secretary General, Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2020, para 37
15
See https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx
16
Article 147 of the Islamic Penal Code.
7
2